


Defending Devi

by malecnificenttyrus11



Category: Never Have I Ever (TV)
Genre: Ben Gross - Freeform, Ben Is Just In Love, Confrontation, Confused!Paxton, Defensive!Ben, Extended Scene, Never Have I Ever, Protective!Ben, Realizations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:41:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24460726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecnificenttyrus11/pseuds/malecnificenttyrus11
Summary: Ben Gross has had a shitty day, or last few days, and is reaching his breaking point. Ben thought things were looking up after Devi and he agreed to set aside their rivalry and work together...but things quickly changed. Devi was angry with him, avoiding him at all costs...and Ben had no idea why. And then he saw Paxton Hall-Yoshida, and it all started making sense.
Relationships: Ben Gross/Devi Vishwakumar
Comments: 9
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

As he walks down the school hallway, Ben replays in his head the rather tense conversation between he and Devi that just took place in their chemistry class.

Well...he wouldn't really call it a conversation. More like...Devi snapping at him while he looked at her with a confused and slightly offended expression on his face.

She'd been mad at him ever since the last day of Model UN...when she went back on their pact and completely obliterated his proposal. And he still wasn't sure why she was so pissed at him.

Their conversation at the party the previous night had actually been nice, as far as Ben could remember. And nothing between then and the next day had really changed.

So what exactly did he do? 

Devi proceeded to snap at Ben for "blowing the secret about her and Paxton sleeping together", which apparently pissed him off.

But...why would Paxton be pissed off about people finding out that he and Devi had slept together. Wouldn't that just make him look cooler?

And why would Devi be mad at people finding out that she'd been sleeping with someone way out of her league? 

Well...Paxton was more out of Devi's league, if Ben was being honest.

Wait...why was he thinking that? 

Ben rounded the corner of the hallway where his locker was, stopping dead in his tracks as he caught sight of Paxton and his crew.

Ben looked at Paxton, his eyes narrowing as he glared at him.

Had Paxton done or said something to upset Devi? Had he taken advantage of her or pushed her into doing something she wasn't comfortable with?

Did Paxton make her feel insecure? 

Why did Ben even care? He and Devi were sworn enemies, not even close to friends.

So why did he feel so...protective over her? 

Ben was snapped out of his thoughts by a voice...Paxton's voice.

"You need something bro?" Paxton asks in his normal nonchalant voice.

Ben looks around to see if Paxton had been talking to anyone else, but quickly realized he wasn't.

Shit...he was caught staring at Paxton Hall-Yoshida.

He quickly turned to look back at Paxton, who was now making his way over to him.

"Uh, what?" Ben questions, trying to hide the panic he started to feel.

"Why are you looking at me?" Paxton asks with a raised eyebrow.

Ben narrows his eyes, trying to look calm, cool and collected, "I wasn't." He says defensively, scoffing.

Paxton smirks, pointing a finger at him.

"Yeah you were. You were staring at me." Paxton says matter-of-factly.

Ben's eyes widen, quickly looking in every direction except Paxton's.

Paxton laughs, "It's okay. Happens to me alot..." he brags.

Ben really wants to punch him in the face. He couldn't believe that Paxton would brag about all the attention he gets while he is with Devi.

Did he even care about Devi at all? 

Ben keeps his composure, scoffing again.

"Okay...well I wasn't stirring. Staring." Ben rambles out, mentally slapping himself at how nervous and insecure he felt during one conversation with Paxton.

Maybe it was the huge zit inhabiting his face, or the fact that Paxton was way taller than him and way more fit.

Or maybe... it was the fact that he had Devi.

Wait...what? What was he THINKING.

"Then what were you doing?" Paxton asks, raising an eyebrow. He was smirking, almost challenging Ben.

Ben panicked, fumbling through his pocket until he found the basketball ticket.

"Uh...do you, like the clippers?" Ben asks, flashing the ticket towards Paxton.

What the hell, Ben?

Paxton furrowed his eyebrows, "Uh...what?" he asks awkwardly.

"Nothing..." He quickly yells out, pocketing the ticket, "Actually...I was wondering if you knew what was going on with Devi?"

Paxton narrows his eyes, "Devi?" he questions.

Ben nods, "Yeah, uh...she's been upset lately and I'm not sure why." he explains.

Paxton raises an eyebrow, "Wait...you're Ben Gross, right?" 

Ben tilts his head, nodding slowly, "Uh...yeah."

Paxton raises an eyebrow, "Don't you like...hate Devi?"

Ben's eyes widen, "Um...no...I-"

Paxton interrupts him, "Wait...aren't you the one who gave Devi and her friends that nickname. What was it...the UN or something?" 

Ben's face falls.

"Bro...not gonna lie but, that's kind of racist and offensive." Paxton says, making Ben's blood boil.

Ben's mouth tightens, his eyes narrowing, "First of all...I don't hate Devi. I never have."

He crosses his arms over his chest.

"And secondly...that's not even what the nickname means! It means...well, nevermind. I came up with that when I was like...12." he argues defensively.

Paxton looks taken aback, but keeps a cool look on his face, "Right...whatever that means. Uh...Bro, I'm not sure really what's going on here but I wasn't plan on this being a full-on conversation." He says, shrugging his shoulders.

Ben rolls his eyes, "Whatever, Paxton. I wasn't planning on this being a conversation either, but here we are." he snaps back.

Paxton raises an eyebrow at him.

"Look. I'm not here to listen to you deflect and throw things in my face that I already feel guilty enough for. I'm here to talk about Devi." Ben snaps pointedly.

Paxton appears to be at a loss for words, so Ben takes this as an opportunity to keep talking.

He'd already gone this far.

"Listen...I don't know what happened between you and Devi, or what you did to upset her. But she's hurting and it's clearly because of you. So...you should fix it. Because she deserves better." Ben finishes off, turning to walk in the opposite direction.

He leaves Paxton both extremely confused and shocked.

For some reason, he also is confused and shocked.

Where the hell did that boost of confidence come from? He would have NEVER spoken to Paxton that way on a normal day...or any day. But after the shit day, or days, that he was having...it made him feel surprisingly better.

He wasn't sure what was going on with Paxton and Devi...or why he felt the need to jump in at Devi's defense.

All he knew was that something in him had changed. And it scared him like hell...

For now, Ben would push aside this entire interaction and new feelings that he wasn't quite sure of their meaning.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the ticket to the basketball game. Atleast he'd be distracted tonight.


	2. Devi Finds Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Devi leaves class to find that the entire hallway of students were all looking in her direction, whispering to eachother. Devi knew this most likely had to do with the news of her lying about Paxton and her's hookup. But the whispers were about something else...Ben Gross. What happens when Devi realizes the person she was most angry with right now, other than herself, had actually defended her?

The bell rings, signaling the end of Chemistry class. Devi quickly collects her things and storms out of the room, not even sparing a glimpse back at stupid Ben Gross.

To say she was angry at him was a large understatement.

Ben had ruined everything for her...everything. If it weren't for him opening his stupid mouth, nobody would have even known about Devi and Paxton (well...Devi's lie about Paxton)...and Paxton wouldn't be pissed at her.

It was all his fault.

Okay...so maybe Devi was exaggerating just a bit. Like usual, she was overreacting about a situation and projecting the blame, and her anger, at someone who didn't deserve it.

She could admit to herself that Ben wasn't really to blame. He didn't know anyone was on the bus with them. And also...he didn't know that the whole Paxton sex rumors were lies. 

The only person that Devi could blame was herself.

Devi sighed, turning the corner of the hallway and making her way to her next class. A class that, thankfully, wasn't with Ben Gross.

If she'd been forced to see him again...she probably would've been even further eaten alive with guilt.  
~  
Devi's next class goes by quickly, and before she knows it its the end of the day.

She quickly makes her way to her locker, trying to ignore the looks being shot at her by practically everyone in the hallway.

Devi slowed down, eyes scanning the hallway uncomfortably.

Everyone was looking at her, whispering to eachother. She tries her best to not pay it any mind...but she can't help but listen in to what everyone was saying about her...especially since she knew it was about her and Paxton.

"Did you hear...She lied about having sex with Paxton Hall-Yoshida..."

Okay...in her defense, she didn't lie. She just didn't correct her friends when they had ASSUMED that her and Paxton had sex.

Okay...maybe that still was a lie.

"You think that's crazy?...Did you hear about Ben Gross going off on Paxton?" another student whispered to her friends.

Devi furrowed her eyebrows together...Ben went off on Paxton?

"I can't believe Ben Gross stood up for Devi...I thought they hated eachother."

"I did too. He definitely cares about her though...especially standing up to Paxton Hall-Yoshida. Gross has balls."

Devi freezes...Ben stood up for her? Why would he stand up for her against Paxton? What the hell was going on? 

Devi finally gets to her locker, quickly putting in her combination and opening it. She tries to put away her books as quickly as possible, wanting desperately to get away from all the attention on her.

Fabiola and Eleanor run around the corner of the hallway, quickly making their way over to Devi.

"Guys...hey. Do you know what is going on? People are staring at me and whispering." Devi says.

Eleanor and Fabiola share a look.

"You didn't hear?" Fabiola asks. 

Devi shakes her head, "Uh...no. Well...I heard bits and pieces from whispers in the hallway about Ben and Paxton."

Eleanor nods, "Yeah. Well apparently...Paxton and Ben had a very public confrontation earlier in the hallway..." she explains.

"Paxton said something to set Ben off...and Ben went off on him. Devi...he jumped to your defense." Fabiola adds.

"I don't understand...why would Ben need to defend me against Paxton?" Devi asks.

The girls both look at her, "We were going to ask you that, actually. People are saying that you and Paxton never had sex. That's crazy...isn't it?" Eleanor says.

Devi frowns, knowing that she can't lie to her two bestfriends. Not more than she already had.

"No...it's not. It's true." Devi admits. Eleanor and Fabiola glance over at eachother, both equally confused.

"Wait...what?" They ask in unison.

Devi sighs, looking at the ground, "It's true. I lied about me and Paxton hooking up. Well...I didn't LIE. But...I never corrected anyone when they assumed it, including you guys..." She confesses.

Eleanor frowns, "Devi...why would you lie about that?" 

Devi shrugs, "I don't know. I guess because I wanted people to notice me. To think I was cool...I was tired of being known as the nerdy Indian girl with way too much body hair, or a UN. I just wanted to be...normal."

The girls both frown at her, their eyes widening when they looked behind Devi.

Devi shoots them a confused look, "Guys...I'm sorry that I lied to you, okay? I know it was messed up but...you have to understand."

Neither of the girls respond to her, still looking over her shoulder with wide eyes. Devi takes this as a sign to keep talking.

"All through middle school and high school, I was known as a member of the UN. People would never let me live that name down. I felt ugly, unlikeable...Paxton was an opportunity to make a name for myself..." She explains.

Fabiola coughs awkwardly, "Uh...Devi." she says, gesturing for Devi to turn around.

Devi slowly turns around, eyes widening when she noticed that Ben was standing there at his locker, embarrassed for being caught listening and completely confused.

"Ben...I-" Devi starts, but he interrupts her.

"Uh...I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop. I'm gonna go..." He rambles out, shutting his locker and quickly walking in the other direction.

Devi turns back around to look at her friends, who are giving her equally confused looks.

"Guys...I was a complete bitch to Ben about this whole Paxton thing. It's a long story but...I need to go talk to him." She explains.

Both girls nod at her, and Devi turns around to run after Ben.

She finally catches sight of him, "Ben! Wait up..." she calls out, causing Ben to freeze and turn around.

Ben sighs, "David...I didn't hear anything, I promise. If you're going to yell at me...please get it over with quick. I'm having a bad day and really just want to go home."

His voice is quiet and has no anger behind it, and Devi frowns.

"Ben...I'm not going to yell at you. Can we talk?" She asks.

Ben hesitates, eventually nodding his head.

"We can go to the music room...nobody is there after school on non-practice days." Devi suggests, and Ben nods, following behind her.

Devi enters the music room, Ben walking in behind her and closing the door. She walks over to where her harp is sitting...running her fingers across the strings. 

Ben looks over at her, "It's been awhile since you've played, right?" he asks, trying to start conversation.

Devi nods slowly, sitting down in her usual seat.

"Yeah...I haven't been able to bring myself to play since, you know..." She breathes out, and Ben nods, frowning at her.

He remembered the night her father had the heart attack...he was at the concert. He had went initially to make fun of the band geeks after a shitty day he'd had (its messed up, he knows...), but he never did anything of the sort. 

He remembers the look of devastation on Devi's face as she watched her father being put into the ambulance. He wanted so badly to go to her and comfort her...but instead he was stuck where he was standing, watching helplessly as Devi sobbed.

He was a coward...he always has been. He knew that. But today, he felt a shift inside of him. Something urging him to stand up for her.

It helped eliminate the guilt he felt for the times that he wasn't there for her.

"I'm sorry..." He breathes out, unsure of what else to say.

Silence falls between them, and Ben shifts his weight back and forth awkwardly.

"Ben...I'm sorry for taking my anger out on you the last few days. You didn't deserve it..." Devi apologizes.

Ben shrugs his shoulders, "It's okay."

Devi shakes her head, standing up from her seat.

"It's really not. This entire situation was my fault, Ben. Not yours. If I didn't lie to everyone in the first place...none of this would have happened." Devi says.

"Devi...I can't help but blame myself a bit for all of this." Ben admits. Devi raises an eyebrow at him.

"Ben...why would you blame yourself for my lie?" She asks.

Ben frowns, sitting down in a chair, "If I had never started that stupid nickname in the first place, you would have never felt insecure...and never felt like you had to sleep with someone to be good enough. Shit...I'm such an idiot."

Devi shrugs, "I mean you are an idiot..." she smirks, "but you didn't push me to proposition Paxton into having sex with me. I did that myself..."

Ben's eyes widen, "Proposition? What..."

Devi laughs uncomfortably, sitting down in the chair next to him.

"I didn't mean to say that to you. Uh...yeah. I sort of propositioned Paxton into having sex after one of his swim meets..." she explains.

Ben raises an eyebrow, "And when he said no...you decided to lie about it?" he guesses.

Devi shakes her head, "No. Paxton actually said yes...which was kind of shocking after my humiliating speech I gave to him."

Ben tilts his head, "But if he said yes...then why-"

"He said yes, and then it never really went anywhere. I mean...we got close to having sex, as close as you can get without kissing." She explains.

Ben raises an eyebrow, "What?"

Devi sighs, "He took off his shirt and I ran out."

Ben stifles a laugh, and Devi punches his shoulder.

"Don't laugh okay...it was not one of my greatest moments." Devi groans, almost laughing herself.

Ben composes himself, "Sorry...so, people caught wind of you sleeping with Paxton and you...never corrected them?"

Devi nods, "Yeah...the rest you pretty much heard when I talked to El and Fab."

"Yeah..." He replies.

"Well...that was a lot of information that I was not prepared to hear. But it makes more sense now why Paxton is pissed at you..." Ben explains, and Devi looks at the ground.

Ben frowns, "Hey...I'm sure he'll get over it eventually. I mean...Paxton Hall-Yoshida's reputation isn't going to be damaged by rumors of him sleeping with someone. It'll probably just make him look cooler..."

Devi shrugs, "I don't know...I think he's more pissed because he considered me his friend, and I treated him like an object."

Ben nods, putting the pieces together in his head. Maybe his facts were slightly off when he snapped at Paxton...but he didn't regret standing up for Devi.

Also, it did make him feel better.

"Hey...I know it might not help much but...I think he'll forgive you soon." Ben comforts her.

Devi glances over at him, "You think?"

Ben nods, "Yeah..."

Devi smiles, "Maybe because you talked some sense into him. What was it you said...that I deserved better?" she teases.

Ben's face turns red, "Uh...what?" he says, pretending to be clueless.

"Practically our entire class, and the whole school is talking about how you defended me against Paxton." Devi informs him.

Ben groans, throwing his head into his hands, "Shit...news really travels fast in this school."

Devi laughs, "Ben...he's Paxton Hall-Yoshida...people know the gossip about him before he even knows. He has three fan tumblrs, remember?"

Ben rolls his eyes, "Yeah...I remember, unfortunately."

Devi laughs lightly, "Ben...your jealousy is showing." she teases.

"Ha, Ha." Ben fake laughs, although the words do hit him rather hard.

"But seriously...why would you defend me? Especially after the way I've treated you..." Devi asks.

Ben shrugs, "I don't know...I just saw how upset you were about Paxton, figured he'd done something to hurt you, and then when the opportunity came I lost it." 

Devi raises an eyebrow.

"Also...I've been having a shitty few days, and Paxton was the person to feel the wrath of my anger." Ben adds.

Devi nods, shocked that her and Ben actually have something in common. She isn't the only one who took out her problems on other people.

"You didn't have to do that, Ben. But...thank you." Devi says, smiling at him.

Ben smiles back, glancing over at her, "It's no problem."

A comfortable silence falls between them, and Devi decides that she needs to tease Ben just a little bit more.

It was cheering her up, if she was honest.

"So...is it true that you also said you didn't hate me?" Devi asks, a smirk on her face.

Ben groans, "Jesus...did people document my entire rant from beginning to end?"

Devi laughs, "Once again...you said these things to..."

"Paxton Hall-Yoshida, yeah...I know." Ben moans out, "Also yes...I did say I didn't hate you. He claimed that I did...that REALLY set me off."

Devi was slightly moved by the fact that Ben didn't hate her, and was so quick to defend her when he thought she'd been hurt.

"Well like I said...I don't hate you either. I would even consider us friends...kind of." She admits.

Ben grins at her. Nobody has ever said something so nice and touching to him before.

Ben tried to ignore the way his heart started racing, the way it had lately when he spent time with Devi, or saw her laugh or smile.

"I feel the same...sort of." He teases, bumping shoulders with her.

"Well...I should probably get home before my mom freaks. I'm still technically grounded." Devi explains, and Ben nods, standing up to follow her out of the room.

They walk side by side to the exit of the school, parting ways. Devi turns to look back at Ben, "Hey, Ben?"

Ben stops, turning to look back at her.

"Thank you again. I really needed to know somebody cared." Devi says, and Ben smiles at her, nodding.

She turns to walk away and Ben watches, the smile only growing on his face.


End file.
